
Contents
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Introduction Introduction
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What Is Nomadism? Definitions, Myths, and Environments What Is Nomadism? Definitions, Myths, and Environments
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Historiography Historiography
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Nomads on the Ground Nomads on the Ground
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Nomadic States Nomadic States
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Conclusion Conclusion
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Bibliography Bibliography
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27 Nomads in the Classical and Byzantine Near East
Get accessGideon Avni is chief archaeologist for the Israel Antiquities Authority and professor of archaeology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. His academic interests focus on various aspects of classical, late antique, early Islamic, and medieval archaeology, the archaeology of Jerusalem, nomads and sedentary societies in the desert areas of the Near East, and the diffusion of technologies and movement of people in Eurasia. His recent books are The Byzantine–Islamic Transition in Palestine: An Archaeological Approach (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), and A New Old City: Jerusalem in the Late Roman Period (Portsmouth, RI: Journal of Roman Archaeology, 2017).
Steven A. Rosen is the emeritus Canada chair of Near Eastern Archaeology at Ben-Gurion University. He received his doctorate from the University of Chicago. Prior to the university, he worked for the Negev Emergency Survey. He has excavated numerous sites in the Negev, ranging from prehistoric through modern times, focusing on the pastoral societies of the region. He has also pioneered the study of stone tools in the Metal Ages. He is a member of the scientific board of Paléorient, and past editor of Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society. He served on the Archaeological Council of Israel for more than twenty years and as BGU vice president for External Affairs and deputy rector. Recent books are Revolutions in the Desert: The Rise of Mobile Pastoral Societies in the Negev and the Arid Zones of the Southern Levant and Flint Trade in the Protohistoric Levant with Francesca Manclossi.
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Published:22 April 2025
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Abstract
Mobile pastoralism in classical times in the Near East is a well-developed phenomenon, incorporating the basic domesticates of modern pastoral nomads in the region, including camels, goats, sheep, horses, and donkeys. Residential mobility in peripheral environments to exploit seasonally available resources (water, grazing) to support herds and distant markets structure the yearly cycle. Tribal organization characterizes most of these groups, although tribes and tribal confederations occasionally achieved large sizes, posing threats to sedentary states. Ancient texts (rock inscriptions and literary/economic accounts), archaeology, and modern ethnography (through analogy) are the primary sources for understanding nomadism in classical times. These sources are uneven geographically and must be approached critically. Although little tapped, they offer great potential for further research, and constitute a crucial counterbalance to modern stereotypes.
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